Dark Clouds. Cold winds.
When I was a little kid I lived on Hulbert Field, an Air Force base, in Florida. We lived in base housing. It was a nice enough place. I was little kid, life was decent. I remember when we would hear about hurricanes approaching. I don't remember any specific one during that time but I do remember all the concern and preparation people would do to prepare for one.
The interesting thing about hurricanes is they can lay waste to everything for miles and miles around it and no amount of preparation would have ever been enough to prepare for that level of destruction. Just as well, you can think it's coming right at you and then things change and you end up with 10 cases of water and 50 gallons in gas cans and a clear blue sky overhead. Weather can be funny that way.
Unfortunately the storm approaching us is not changing direction. It's heading right for us. We can prepare and hopefully we have. While some of us may miss the worse of it, not all of us will weather the storm the same. Some of us will be left broken and feeling hopeless. Some of us will be broken, loss everything and feel lost and alone.
Sometimes, no matter how prepared you think you are, it was woefully inadequate and you will feel the water flowing into your home from every direction and can do nothing to stop it. Know when to ask for help. Never be afraid to reach out to others.
We need to look out for each other. Check on your friends. Your family. Your coworkers. Your neighbors.
I don't know what will happen starting Monday but I do know that storm will hurt people. It will change everything. It will seem to permanently damage things beyond repair.
Our strength is us. We here at DU can get through this. I've been a member here for 19 years. This is the third longest relationship I've had with anyone or anything.
I don't know what is about to happen. I'm desperately fighting off a neverending urge to curl up in a ball and scream. But I have my family. My friends. I have you all here at DU.
I may try to disconnect this weekend and into next week but I'll keep an eye on DU.
Be safe. Be prepared. Stay calm. Keep a towel handy. Don't panic.